Growing up, I remember we couldn’t go into certain places, certain stores. Especially downtown, if you went into a store, you were followed the entire time you were there. Then finally if you had not purchased anything … of course, as kids, we had this “wish list,” we always called Read more…
Why do some women become whistleblowers, while others keep silent? I’ve been thinking about this question following the July 26 death of Irish singer Sinead O’Connor. I was 10 years old on Oct. 3, 1992, when O’Connor performed on “Saturday Night Live,” ultimately ripping up a photograph of Pope John Read more…
By Nicole Grundmeier My friend witnessed a near-drowning on June 6 at Holiday Aquatic Center in West Des Moines. She watched a mother drop off three children: a boy who looked to be maybe 13, and two little girls, approximately ages 6 and 2. The teenager did the best he Read more…
Sometimes it seemed as if Sharon Malheiro was everyone’s mom. “When she died, it felt like, ‘Well, Mom is gone, and we’re not ready to be Mom yet,’” said Des Moines attorney Breanna Young. This is Iowa’s first Pride month without Malheiro, a longtime attorney and activist who was instrumental Read more…
By Nicole Grundmeier Kate Zimmerman proves that you can always go home. And, she is determined to do whatever she can to protect it. Zimmerman grew up on a farm in Guthrie County, where her parents raised Hereford cattle. “I was one of four kids, but I was the only Read more…
By Emily Kestel If you had told Dr. Andy McGuire in 2002 that in 20 years, the United Way of Central Iowa’s Women United program would raise more than $26 million toward early childhood education, it’s safe to say she wouldn’t have believed you. “We had no idea this thing Read more…
By Emily Kestel When a group of 27 women met at the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act was weeks away from becoming law. Hillary Clinton was a year away from giving her famous “women’s rights are human rights” speech. Third-wave feminism was Read more…
By Emily Kestel, Fearless editor Since the beginning of the Fearless initiative, we’ve been adamant about connection being one of its core values. Women are often seen as the glue that holds communities together, but they often lack opportunities to sit at tables where decisions are made about how the communities Read more…
By Emily Kestel To help kick off Pride Month, we asked leaders in the LGBTQ community throughout the state about the barriers they continue to face and how to best support them. We talked with: Jewell Amos, interim president, Iowa City Pride. Karen Mackey, executive director, Sioux City Human Rights Read more…
By Emily Kestel Since the beginning of the Fearless initiative, we’ve been adamant about connection being one of its core values. Women are often seen as the glue that holds communities together – but women often lack opportunities to sit at tables where decisions are made about how the communities Read more…